BRINGING THE TIGER SPIRIT HOME

 

The Snax Tigers are one of Papua New Guinea's successful Digicel Cup rugby league football teams.

Every year after a tough footy season, the Tigers choose a remote corner of the country and visit their far flung fans.

Two years ago, the Tigers journeyed into the mountains of Enga. Here is the heartwarming story . . 

MORE THAN A TIGER HUG

 

 A heartfelt hug: Snax Tigers utility backline Tiger Emeri embraces an old woman at the Mambisanda district hospital in Wabag.

BY FRANKIY KAPIN

A PICTURE does tell a thousand words. Or even more than a story.

A picture capturing a certain significant moment is an instilled memory not easily forgotten.

Sometimes it takes a strong heart to speak out about inner emotional state of minds, desires and longings or cravings.

At the most, no one wants everyone to hear their feelings because of insecurity so they turn to isolation.

A good place to find the insecure and the longing heart is in the depths of a hospital.

Two weeks ago I joined the Digicel cup semi professional rugby league team, the Lae Snax Tigers on a weeklong trip to Enga province culminating with Sunday’s round ten challenge at the Aipus oval in Wabag.

But what captured me most is the off-field visit by the Snax Tigers to the Lutheran Church run Mambisanda district hospital.

Rugby league players are hardened spartans on the footy paddock. They can trade blows, fell their opponents and take the shock of their pain in the spirit of the game of rugby league.

But in their inner fearless nature is also a soft spot, an inner softy that triggers familiar emotions of family.

So much so that when the mighty Snax Tigers footy team visited the hospital, the claws of the cats were left at the door.

This was soft paw country. You tiptoe with your hearts on your tiger stripes.

Through the camera lens, captured for time immemorial was Snax Tigers utility backline, Tiger Emeri hugging an old woman in one of the wards at the hospital.

Sitting isolated on her sick bed, lonely, lost in a jungle of insecurity, suddenly a tabby Tiger pounced on her in the most loving way.

The old woman’s face glowed when the firm arms of Emeri stretched out and calmly wrapped around her and gave her the warmest hug she had missed on many cold nights.

All she needed was that hug. Then the big smiles and when Emeri left, tears rolled down her cheeks.

I couldn’t really communicate with her obviously with the language barrier but from observation I understood her feelings.

Snax Tigers trainer Francis Moiya explains to patients in one of the wards, “We don’t know you yet here we are now. We are a rugby league team and apart from playing rugby we take time out to visit hospitals or health centres and even schools.

"You may be sitting alone on your sick bed driven to misery of your illness. At times you don’t get a visit by those you are expecting. And that is normal. Of course we are not doctors or medical officers by profession but our presence here today simply gives you a fighting spirit to sit up straight from your sick bed and mingle with us.”

And at the end of the visit Samuel Itaki the acting medical services director of Mambisanda hospital acknowledged the Tigers visit.

Snax Tigers Noel Joel leads his players walking into the hospital

He said that every hospitals and health facilities throughout PNG is no different to this hospital lacking funding, infrastructure, manpower and medical supplies.
Itaki said while these health setbacks remain an unavoidable element of the country’s health system downfalls, not all hope is lost.

He said just a smile and that cheering hug or embrace is what every sick person needs.

“You know every day there is someone dying out there in this world. You wake up each morning to find out that you are still breathing and not that one soul lost overnight lights up the smile on your face. All we need is to give that smile to another person and all their worries will be gone including the sick,” Itaki told the Tigers players.

The Tigers team visits are the team’s integral drive to its off-field commitment to its ongoing community obligations.

Tigers coach in addressing the team members said apart from its core responsibility to be a key player in the Digicel cup, the team also has the obligation to give back to the franchise owner, the Lae Biscuit Company.

 So for three days the team’s management visited two primary schools in the Enga province providing motivational talks as well as engaging in basic rugby league skills enhancements drills.

And while Papua new Guineans love rugby league to the bone, the Tigers used the opportunity to bring smiles and hopes to the down hearted especially in hospitals and health centers wherever they travel out and are able to put smiles on faces.

The Tigers may not be the medical practitioners but the gesture of hospital visits speaks volumes of hope given by a stranger and the unexpected visitor to any patient.

Somewhere in Enga is an old lady with a Tiger smile! Give your friend a hug, a tight Tiger squeeze and make him or her smile too this festive season . . let's do it the tiger 'mamuna' way!